Contribute to relaunching the management of the reservoirs and hydraulic infrastructures of Acque del Sud SpA, an asset with the potential capacity of 1 billion cubic meters of water the year used for purposes drinking, irrigation and industrial. It is the goal of partnerships between Apulian aqueduct SpA (AQP) e ACEA SpA to become industrial partners of Southern watersthe company that has absorbed the functions of theEIPLI (Authority for the development of Irrigation and Land Transformation in Puglia, Lucania and Irpinia).
The two groups leader of the integrated water servicea total of 14 million citizens served and 110 thousand kilometers of networks, have signed an agreement to participate together in the next public race in which the industrial partner of Acque del Sud will be chosen. The art. 23 of Legislative Decree 44/2023, converted by Law 74/2023, provides the possibility for the current sole shareholder of the company, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), to transfer shares up to the limit of 30% to individuals with the functions of operating partners it’s a responsible role in management. To participate in the public tender, AQP and ACEA will form a temporary grouping of companies (RTI) with equal shares.
“Managing the large hydraulic infrastructures of Southern Italy with an industrial method is fundamental – explained the President of AQP, Domenico Laforgia – particularly in this historical period characterized by climate change. Acquedotto Pugliese draws much of its water from the Lucanian and Campania reservoirs and has a large adduction system of 5 thousand kilometres, unique in the European panorama in terms of complexity, often directly interconnected with the works managed by Acque del Sud. This makes us not only a partner motivated by the smooth functioning of those works, but also very experienced in the management of large and complex infrastructures. In partnership with ACEA we believe we can give impetus to this new company, thus guaranteeing adequate water resources for a large area, the driving force behind the development of Southern Italy”.
Fabrizio PalermoCEO and General Director of ACEA, commented: “The partnership signed with AQP is the result of the agreement signed in June last year between the two companies and confirms the objective of pooling mutual skills to strategically seize investment opportunities in the water sector, in particular in Southern Italy, a particularly exposed area of the country to the effects of climate change. We are sure – continued Fabrizio Palermo – that the collaboration that is born today between Acea, the leading Italian industrial water operator, and AQP will be able to guarantee Acque del Sud efficient and sustainable infrastructures to protect the resource and benefit the development of the territory. We believe, in fact, that the public-private partnership represents the most effective way to finance adequate investments and for industrial management of networks and hydraulic works using the most advanced technologies”.
Acquedotto Pugliese SpA, with over 33 thousand kilometers of network, 570,000 interconnections, 185 purifiers and over 4 million users served, it is among the major national players in the management of the integrated water cycle and one of the most complex civil engineering works in Europe. This system is spread over an area of 20 thousand square kilometers which includes two different ATOs (Optimal Territorial Area) including the Puglia ATO – the largest in terms of territorial extension – guaranteeing the supply of drinking water to Puglia (100% of the population) , Basilicata (25%) and Campania (2%). The services range from the capture and collection to the purification and distribution of water as well as sewerage and wastewater purification services. Acquedotto Pugliese SpA is the parent company and controls Aseco SpA, a company specialized in the treatment and recovery of organic waste.
ACEA is one of the main Italian industrial groups, listed on the stock exchange since 1999. It deals with integrated water services, electricity distribution, public and artistic lighting, energy and gas sales, energy production mainly from renewable sources, waste treatment and valorization . It is the leading national operator in the water sector with approximately 10 million inhabitants served, among the main Italian players in energy distribution and among the largest operators in Italy in the environment sector with approximately 1.8 million tonnes of waste managed per year.
